“The whole idea of this is to give investors a sense of comfort that the Kingdom has a long-term vision for renewable energy,” he later told Reuters.

The government has said it plans to generate 9.5 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from renewable sources a year by 2023 through 60 projects, involving an estimated investment of between $30 billion and $50 billion.

Shehri declined to give further details on when the government expects to exceed the target or other details, saying such an announcement would be made by the energy minister.

Expressions of interest in Saudi’s first utility-scale solar project had come from China more than any other country, he said. (Reporting by Reem Shamseddine; Editing by Susan Fenton)